


My Own Kind of Light

by crunch_the_munch



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Albus Dumbledore Bashing, Bad Albus Dumbledore, Dark Harry, Dark Harry Potter, Evil Albus Dumbledore, F/F, F/M, I'm Bad At Tagging, M/M, Manipulative Albus Dumbledore, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slytherin Harry Potter, Slytherin Hermione Granger, Slytherin Neville Longbottom, Slytherin Ron Weasley
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-27
Updated: 2018-11-28
Packaged: 2019-08-30 02:56:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16756519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crunch_the_munch/pseuds/crunch_the_munch
Summary: "Things aren't always as they seem.""How do you know the difference? Who's good? Who's bad?""You don't. The only advice I can give you? Question everything."





	1. Poor Kid

     When a baby showed up on the steps of the Dursley’s, what reaction was there to have? 

 

     Petunia lifted a child with her sister’s eyes. A child that was a manifestation of her grief. She knew that this meant her sister had passed, and she remembered times when they’d chase each other through empty fields. She sobbed, but not for the loss of her sister, she’d mourned her long before. She cried for her sins, she said goodbye long before her sister was ever gone.

 

     Every time Petunia Dursley’s eyes landed upon the face of this child she felt hate stronger than she’d ever known. How can you forgive yourself when there’s a physical reminder of all you did not do right in front of you? 

 

     She knew it was wrong, but what better way to mask your guilt than with hate? Trade your grudge for another. One bottle for the other and maybe in the morning you won’t remember what you did yesterday.

 

     She was not completely filled with hate. She had a husband and a child. A baby that had never seen anger. A child that she taught to hate. It was how she protected herself and she had an obligation to give her son the same protection.

 

     People hate the things they do not understand and envy what they cannot have. A baby with curly black hair was all that and more. He was naturally curious, and smart, and completely and utterly kind. Everything that she never was and never could be.

 

     When he was ten and the letters started arriving she was more than ready to erase this reminder from her memory. Her husband threw letters away, he thought he was saving the green-eyed boy. Saving him from the unknown, when the unknown was exactly what would save him.

 

     When a giant of a man knocked their door down she let him leave with the child without protest. She never could bring herself to say his name. It always the child, or the kid, or freak, or whatever insult she could think of. Names make you grow attached and it’s hard to hate something you’re attached to.

  
  
  
  
  
  


 

     Rebeus Hagrid gave Harry a birthday cake and was mearly stared at. “Go ahead, it’s for you.”

 

     “It is?”

 

     “Of course!”

 

     “Um… what does it say?”

 

     “Is my hand-writing getting that bad?”

 

     “No, it’s not that,” Harry quickly corrected. “I can’t read, is all.”

 

     “You can’t read?”

 

     “No, sir.”

 

     “Aren’t you eleven?”

 

     “Yes, sir. I was never taught.”

 

     “Well, I hope you’re a fast learner, kid. It says ‘Happy Birthday, Harry.’”

 

     “Harry? Is that my name?”

 

     “You don’t know your own name?”

 

     “No, sir.”

  
     “Well, Harry, we’ve got quite the adventure ahead of us. Your name is Harry James Potter.” Hagrid lead them into Diagon Alley with only one thought on his mind, _poor kid_.

 

     Harry's eyes were wide long before he saw anything magical. "I've never seen this many people in my life," he exclaimed to the relatively empty streets. There were only a few wandering witches and wizards.

 

     "Haven't you ever been shopping before?"

 

     "No, sir."

 

     "Never?” 

“Never, the only time I go outside is to work on the garden."

 

     "Don't you have any friends? Don't you play outside?"

 

     "Dudley's friends like to take my tools and chase me with them sometimes."

 

     "You mean to tell me you don't have any friends?"

 

     "No, sir. Other kids don't really like me very much."

 

     "I'm sure you'll make some fine friends at Hogwarts."

 

     "I sure hope so. I'm a tad nervous."

 

     This is the first semblance of a normal kid that Hagrid had seen. "All first years are nervous. What's got you caught up? Afraid you'll get lost?"

 

     "It's not that... I've never been to school before. What if the other kids think I'm dumb?"

 

     "If they do then you don't need them as friends anyway." Hagrid's heart hurt for this small child who honestly didn't look older than eight. He was short and skin and bones. His ribs poked visibly through an over-sized shirt. He had lived an awful life and didn't know it. It was normal to him because he didn't have anything to compare it to. The poor kid didn't even have friends. Everyone needs a friend, they get you through life when nothing else does. Even He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named had friends.

 

     "Did you say we were going shopping?"

 

     "Yes, Harry," Hagrid mumbled absentmindedly.

 

     "I don't have any money, sir."

 

     "You do now. See that building up ahead?" Harry nodded, "It's a bank, your parents left you money in there." They continued on their path to the bank.

 

     "My parents had money?" Harry asked when they reached the doors of Gringotts.

 

     "Of course they did, Harry," Hagrid answered, leading them through the doors.

 

     "And they left it to me?"

 

    "Of course they did. Where is all this coming from?"

 

     "Aunt Petunia said that my parents were good for nothing drunks who didn't care a lick for me. That they died cause' of their drunkenness in a car accident, with me in the back."

 

     "Your parents were good people who loved you greatly."

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

 

     After they retrieved money from the bank they walked in silence until Harry spoke, "Where are we going, sir?"

 

     "Well, we're getting your wand right now," Hagrid said turning into Ollivander's. "He's the best at what he does. He's been making wands for as long as I can remember. I'll wait out here. This is something you ought to do by yourself. I'll be right outside if you need me."

 

     Harry walked timidly inside and waited until the elderly man behind the counter turned around.

 

     "Harry Potter. You look younger than I pictured. You look just like your father, but those eyes are undoubtedly your mother's. Are you here for your wand?" Harry nodded. "Just wave the wand I hand you until we find one that works."

 

     "Like this?" Harry asked, waving the first which merely created a few quick sparks. They must've went through a hundred wands before they found one that chose Harry.

 

     "A 15" elder wood wand with a thestral hair core. I don't think I've seen a wizard with an elder wood wand since Dumbledore... Now that I think about it, it's made exactly the same as Dumbledore's wand. How incredibly rare."

 

 

 

 

     About an hour later Harry found himself in Madam Malkin's getting fitted for robes. He was next to a boy with the blondest hair he'd ever seen, who was getting fitted for similar robes. "Are you getting ready for Hogwarts too?" Harry asked quietly.

 

     "Yes, I'm very excited. You look a bit young for Hogwarts, though."

 

     "I get told I look younger all the time. I just turned eleven today."

 

     "Well, I haven't seen you around before. My name's Draco Malfoy. What's yours?"

     "Harry Potter." 

 

     Draco's eyes widened. "Like,  _the_ Harry Potter?"

 

     "Well, I guess. I just learned that was my name today."

 

     "You didn't know your name? What did people call you?"

 

     "Well, freak, usually."

 

     "Who called you that?"

 

     "My aunt and uncle."

     "I didn't think your father had any siblings. Why would they call you that?"

 

     "It was my mother's sister. I don't think she liked my mother very much."

 

     "You were staying with muggles? No wonder they called you names. They shouldn't leave known wizards with muggles. It just isn't safe. We know they have a bad tendency of killing us. I have no clue why we still put ourselves among them when it can be avoided."

 

     "What are muggles?"

 

     "People without magic." Madam Malkin returned and finished up Draco's robes.

 

     "Well, it was nice meeting you. Sit by me on the train, will you?" Draco asked and then took leave when Harry nodded.

 

 

 

 


	2. The Hat of Destiny

    Harry knew he'd have quite the adventure ahead of him today. Today was his very first day of school. Hagrid had taken to trying to teach him to read and write. So far he knew his alphabet. Hagrid promised him that his lessons would continue at school and that Harry could seek accommodation from his professors until then. Hagrid had sent him off that morning telling him to find platform 9 3/4.

 

    There was only one problem to that, which Harry didn't realize until he reached the station. He couldn't read the platform signs. He wandered aimlessly asking strangers for about an hour. Which resulted in him either being laughed at or cussed at, sometimes both. That was until he saw a friendly looking red-headed family.

 

    "Excuse me, ma'am, could you point me to platform 9 3/4?" He asked the woman.   


     "Well, we were just on our way there ourselves, you can walk with us. Do you have siblings going this year or something?"

  
  
    "It's my first year," Harry said, following in tow behind them.   


 

    “You look awful small to be a first-year."   
  


    "I get that a lot."   
  


    "It's my Ron's first year too," She said pointing to a boy beside him who was much taller than him, despite apparently being the same age.  "I'm Molly Weasley and these are my kids. All of them are at Hogwarts except for Ginny," She pointed to a small girl over beside him.   
  


   "This was awful nice of you. My name's Harry Potter." All of their eyes widened at once.

  
  
    "It was my pleasure, Harry," she said as they approached a wall. "Just follow their lead."

 

     He watched as one by one the group disappeared through the wall and took a moment of hesitance before he took a running start. On the other side was a beautiful train, he'd only ever seen glimpses on the telly while he was working in a room. The youngest redhead boy, Ron as he remember, approached him. "Would you mind sitting by me? I don't hardly know any kids my age riding."

 

     "Of course, just as long as we can sit with someone else too. I promised him I would."

 

     "That sounds fine. we better get our seats before we completely miss the train, though." Harry led them through the train peaking in every window until he found Draco in the very last compartment and took they took their seats.

 

     "Hi, Harry. And you," he said turning to Ron, "must be a Weasley, the hair is unmistakable."

     "Ron. And you must be a Malfoy, you lot have the palest blond hair."

 

     "It's nice to meet you," Draco said, shaking his hand.

 

     Thirty minutes passed with idle chatter before a girl with frizzy brown hair opened the door with a timid looking boy behind her with a frog cradled in his hands.  "Do you have enough seats for us? Some kids up there keep trying to cast spells on his toad."

 

     "We have plenty of room," Harry answered, moving closer to the window for them to sit down. "I'm Harry. That's Draco, and that's Ron," he said pointing at them each individually.

 

     "Hermione Granger and that's Neville," she said holding out her hand to shake. 

 

     Some more time passed before Draco asked, "What houses does everyone expect to be in? I'll be in Slytherin, like the rest of my family."

 

     "My family has been in Gryffindor for as long as can be traced back, I don't expect much different," Ron said.

 

     "I'll probably be a Hufflepuff, my grandmother wants me to be a Gryffindor but I don't think I have it in me," Neville answered.

 

     "I'm holding out for Ravenclaw," Hermione supplied.

     "I don't know very much about the houses," Harry admitted.

 

     "Didn't you do any of the reading?" Hermione asked.

 

     "Um... I actually... can't read," Harry blushed.

 

     "You can't read?" Draco gaped.

     "I'm learning now, I can't write either. Nobody ever taught me."

 

     "We'll help you," Hermione comforted. 

 

     They changed into the robes not long after that, and were inside Hogwarts in the blink of an eye. Things tend to guy by quickly when you want to remember them. When the Sorting Hat started Harry whispered quietly, "So, we're just gonna let this hat decide our lives?"

 

     "Basically," answered a boy with an Irish accent.

 

     "Awesome," Harry said sarcastically to which the boy laughed.

 

     "I'm Seamus." The boys whispered quietly until they got into line. Later, Harry heard his name called and he was sorted into Gryffindor.

 

     After a few more names it was, "Granger, Hermione." Which led to one of the longest sortings of the night before the hat boomed out "SLYTHERIN!"

     Not long after was, "Longbottom, Neville." Who also had a considerably long sorting before the hat again yelled, "SLYTHERIN!"

 

     Then, a bit later, it was, "Malfoy, Draco." Who was sorted immediately into Slytherin as he expected.

 

     When, "Potter, Harry," was finally called out the entirety of the great hall went quiet.

 

     "You'd thrive in every house. You're an interesting kid, Harry." The hat said in his ear, scaring Harry a bit. "But there's one house you need to be in, you'll do great things in Slytherin."

 

     "Well, this is your job. Put me there, then."

 

     "Then it must be SLYTHERIN!" The hat yelled out the last part, silencing the silent whispers that had started momentarily before new ones started. Mcgonagall stared for a few seconds before removing the hat. Applause from the Slytherin table started as Harry walked over and sat in between Hermione and Neville, and directly across from Draco. 

 

     They sat quietly until, "Weasley, Ronald," was called. The hat was on his head for no longer than a second before shouting "SLYTHERIN!" Gryffindor was so prepared that they had already started clapping before they realized. 

 

     "What is going on?" They heard someone yell as the feast commenced after a few words from Dumbledore.

 

     "Well, who'd have thought we'd all end up in the same house?" Hermione asked.

 

     "Certainly not me. I'm definitely not prepared for my parents reactions either," Ron answered with a shocked look on his face.

 

     "We're gonna be an awful group to deal with, aren't we?" Neville laughed.

 

     "I think so, Neville, I think so," Draco laughed. They all joined in and then spent the rest of the feasts making jokes to see who could make who laugh the hardest.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another short, filler chapter. Sorry about that, we should be getting to the good stuff next chapter.


End file.
